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Scutosaurus
Scutosaurus was a genus of armour covered Permian period pareiasaur loosely related to the turtles Facts Its genus name refers to large plates of bony scutes osteoderms set in the skin as a defense against predators But the most unusual thing about them were the heavy skulls ornamented with strange knobs and ridges It was of a very heavy build almost rhinoceros like Scutosaurus meaning Shield Reptile was a genus of armor covered pareiasaur that lived around 252-248 mya in Russia in the later Permian period Its genus name refers to large plates of armor scattered across its body It was a large anapsid reptile that unlike most reptiles held its legs underneath its body to support its great weight they are herbivores which are well adapted to the dry conditions which covered much of Pangaea at that time A social animal, they migrated in large groups. The leaf-shaped multi-cusped teeth resemble those of iguanas caseids and other reptilian herbivores This dentition together with the deep capacious body which would have housed an extensive digestive tract in the past they see several more Scutosaurus roaming a desert Although initially described correctly as a pareiasaur this species is from then on called a dinosaur throughout the episode in which it appears Although based on the heavily armour species called Scutosaurus karpinskii that lived about 260 million years ago in Russia, the size of the Scutosaurus in the series is exaggerated for dramatic purposes Its described as at least 5 or 6 tons in weight, about as big as an elephant In fact the actual Scutosaurus was much smaller no more than 3 meters in length Palaeobiology Scutosaurus was a massively built reptile up to 2.5 metres 8.2 ft in length with bony armor and a number of spikes decorating its skull Despite its relatively small size Scutosaurus was heavy and its short legs meant that it could not move at speed for long periods of time which made it vulnerable to attack by large predators To defend itself Scutosaurus had a thick skeleton covered with powerful muscles especially in the neck region Underneath the skin were rows of hard bony plates scutes that acted like a form of chain mail As a plant eater living in a semi arid climate Scutosaurus would have wandered widely to find fresh foliage to eat It may have stuck closely to the riverbanks and floodplains where plant life would have been more abundant straying further afield only during times of drought Its teeth were flattened and could grind away at the leaves and young branches before digesting them at length in its large gut With its large cheekbones Scutosaurus may have been able to make a loud bellowing sound It had excellent hearing and could have heard other animals bellowing from some distance away These noises could have been used for mating or as warning signals. In Primeval 1 was found in the Forest of Dean and lead the team to their 1st anomaly Through the anomaly there was herds of them Episode 1.1 At least 2 Scutosaurus are part of Oliver Leek's creature army where it trampled 2 soldiers when it was provoked to move by Jenny Lewis Episode 2.7 Trivia Scutosaurus is incorrectly referred to as a dinosaur in the episode even by people that should know better *this is what nick calls an anapsid. *''Its easier than calling it a Giant Prehistoric anapsid.'' *Stock footage of a Scutosaurus was used for a Stegosaurus in Series 4 Prequel Webisodes, along with Gorgonopsid and Embolotherium. *This is the 1st creature that Nick Cutter, Connor Temple, Claudia Brown, and Stephen Hart encounter. *This is the 14th biggest creature in the whole series *This is the 1st herbivore to appear in Primeval its also the biggest herbivore of Series 1 and the biggest herbivore in Primeval until the appearence of Columbian Mammoth. *Scutosaurus is the 1st creature to return through the anomaly it came from. Gallery Episode1.1 32.JPG|The Scutosaurus in the Forest of Dean Episode1.1 33.JPG|The team meets the Scutosaurus Episode1.1 45.JPG|A herd of Scutosaurus in the Permian Hills Episode2.7 24.jpg|The Scutosaurus tramples Leek's guards Promotional Images Scutosaurus2.jpg External Links *Scutosaurus on the BBC America site *Scutosaurus on the Watch site Category:Permian creatures Category:Anapsids Category:Series 1 Creatures Category:Series 2 Creatures Category:Younger Storybooks Creatures Category:Creatures Category:Creatures that cause deaths